Global alarm as Asian cybercrime syndicates expand into Africa and beyond

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued a stark warning about the rapid global expansion of Asian cybercrime syndicates, whose scam operations are now reaching as far as Africa, South America, and the Pacific Islands.
Originally concentrated in Southeast Asia — particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos — these networks have evolved into a multibillion-dollar global industry. The UN estimates the scams generate nearly $40 billion annually, with operations increasingly shifting to regions with weak governance and limited law enforcement. The cyber-fraud networks rely heavily on human trafficking, luring workers from over 50 countries into scam compounds, where they are forced to run fake investment schemes, romance scams, and cryptocurrency fraud. “These operations spread like a cancer,” Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC’s acting regional representative, commented.
In Africa, arrests in Nigeria, Angola, and Zambia have revealed the growing footprint of these operations. A recent Nigerian sting uncovered nearly 800 suspects, including Chinese and Filipino nationals training locals in online scams. But “even as law enforcement cracks down in one area, syndicates migrate and resurface elsewhere,” Hofmann warned. The syndicates now are increasingly establishing operations in Namibia and other African countries, the agency said. The UNODC is urging international cooperation to disrupt financial flows and tackle the use of technologies like cryptocurrency, deepfakes, and AI by criminal networks. Without swift, coordinated action, experts warn, this evolving threat will continue outpacing traditional law enforcement responses.